Finding Her
by Sierra Mackay
Summary: When a teenage girl is taken from her home, Jo is determined to bring her home. Mac starts noticing that Jo has been acting weird lately, and wants to know why. Trigger warning for future chapters: Domestic violence, mentions of suicide. JAC endgame
1. Missing Ashley

I was sitting at my desk doing paperwork until a woman stormed into the precinct. She crashed through the doors of the police station and slammed her hands against the steel counter. "Give me back my daughter!" Officer Melendez didn't know how to respond. "Ma'am, we don't have your daughter." "Bullshit! One of your officers took her!" "Ma'am, if she was arrested, she would be in county lockup." "My daughter would never get herself in trouble. Where is she?" I got up from my desk and walked over to the front desk. "I've got this, Melendez. Ma'am, I'm Detective Danville. Can you come over to my desk and tell me what happened to your daughter?" She was on the verge of crying, but nodded and followed me back to my desk. "Please take a seat, Mrs. …."

"Wilson, but you can call me Anne."

"Okay, Anne, when was the last time you saw your daughter?"

"A couple days ago. I tried filing a missing person's report, but they told me that she had to be missing for at least forty-eight hours."

"Okay, how old is she?"

"She's only sixteen."

"Can you tell me what happened a couple days ago?"

"An officer came to our door asking to talk to her. They were talking out front, then I heard yelling, then she started screaming, and after that, both the officer and Ashley were gone. I ran outside, but I didn't see anyone." She started crying.

"Has she tried to run away from home before?"

"My daughter would _never_ run away from home! Her father and I are worried sick and this is what you want to ask me?" She stood up, silent tears running down her cheeks, hands shaking.

"I wasn't trying to mean anything by it, it was just a routine question."

She just nodded. "Okay. I'm sorry. You seem to be the only one who wants to help me find Ashley. I just want to find my baby girl." Mrs. Wilson sat back down, but seemed very pale.

"Anne, how are you feeling right now? Do you need me to call paramedics for you?" "I…"

Anne collapsed onto the floor. I tried to catch her in time, but her body hit the floor so fast. I sat next to her face while I took her pulse. Once I found her pulse, I reached for my cell phone immediately. "9-1-1, what's your emergency?" "This is Detective Danville, I need an ambulance at the 64th precinct. I've got a collapse victim whose pulse is very thready." "An ambulance is on its way, Detective." "Anne, can you hear me? Stay with me."

* * *

Mac Taylor was looking at the file on his desk. _Ashley Wilson - 16 years old, last seen at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, the 12th of September 2016. Physical description - Caucasian, brown hair, green eyes, 5'7" , last seen wearing purple converse sneakers, dark blue jeans, and a blue Columbia University sweatshirt._

Lindsay had just given him the file about ten minutes ago, after she got a call from Jo, explaining what happened in the bullpen and how she went with Mrs. Wilson in the ambulance and that she will be back in the office soon. He started to look over the file again. _Before reported missing, Ashley was seen arguing with an officer on Houston Street._ Mac was still reading the rest of the report when he heard a soft knock at the door. Jo peeked her head through the glass doors of her boss' office before he motioned for her to come in. "Mac, hey, so glad I caught you." Mac put the file down and leaned forward before looking up. "How is Mrs. Wilson?"

"She's stable. She stressed herself out so much, it caused her heart to almost stop completely." Mac sensed something was on Jo's mind because she kept fidgeting with her pants pocket. "Jo, what's going on?" She looked up, surprised since her mind was racing. She sat down on the couch in the corner of his office. "Oh Mac, if Ellie ever went missing, I wouldn't know what to do. New York is a huge city. How are we going to start looking for Ashley?" "I have already sent out the amber alert to every bus station, train station, airport, and major highway within a hundred mile radius. Why don't you go home and see your daughter?"

"Mac, I can't. I still have some paperwork from…" "Jo, go home. I'll see you tomorrow." She was a bit hesitant to leave, but she stood up and made her way to the glass doors. "Thanks Mac." She walked out of his office with a smile on her face, walking to her office to get her things. She looked over to the picture frame on her desk. A 7 year old Ellie is staring back at her. She looks at it for a few seconds before she grabs her things. Ellie had soccer tryouts this morning, so she was gone before Jo woke up.

Mac, on the other hand, started smiling and chuckled after Jo left his office. What am I going to do with that woman? He thought. She was his second in command, and she was almost in the office as much as he was. Her desk was such a mess, but she was better at doing fieldwork than paperwork. He put the file in his desk drawer, got up, grabbed his jacket and walked out of the office.

"Danville, I thought I told you to go home."

"I am, I was just leaving. I had to ask Lindsay if she found anything."

"You can't worry about the case right now. I know you have had an interesting day, but you need to relax. Don, Lindsay, Adam, and Danny have it covered for now."

"Maybe you're right. "

"Of course I'm right."

Jo started laughing as they both stepped into the elevator.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just tired."

"If you're too tired to drive, I could drive you home."

"It's okay, I won't be able to sleep anyway. Once we find Ashley, I will be able to sleep."

"We'll find her, Jo. We won't stop looking."


	2. Chapter 2

Jo was halfway into the hallway when she heard rustling coming from the other room. She put her right hand above the holster of her gun. "Mom, is that you?" Ellie came to the hallway. "I didn't know you were coming home early." Jo let out a huge breath that she didn't know she was holding. "Mac sent me home because he thought I've been overworking myself." They moved themselves out of the hallway and into the kitchen. "Well, haven't you?" "Very funny." She left to put her gun in the safe and join her daughter.

"Did you hear back from the soccer team?"

"They are going to put the list up tomorrow."

"Speaking of tomorrow, can you text me when you get to school?"

"Sure, mom. Why?"

"This case I'm working on is about a missing girl your age, and I want to know that you are safe."

Ellie walked around the bar to hug her mom. "Don't worry. Mikayla is walking with me to and from school tomorrow. I'll be fine."

Jo kissed the top of her daughter's head. "This is why you are my favorite."

Ellie got out of her mother's embrace. "I bet you say that to Tyler too."

"I do not!"

"Mom…"

* * *

 _Meanwhile, back at the lab…_

Adam was listening to music in the lab, so loud that he didn't hear Mac knock on the glass. It wasn't until Mac was two feet away, calling out for him.

"Adam!"

"Sorry, Boss."

He turned the music off.

"I… I was just…."

"Adam, what did you find?"

Adam scooted his chair closer to the monitors. "Okay, so, I was able to go through the city's street video feed. I amplified the search to the victim's home and a three mile radius from there. What I found was a police vehicle around the time of abduction and it is only near the victim's home for about ten minutes and leaves, but the car doesn't look like a normal government-issued black and white."

Mac leaned over Adam's shoulder to get a better look at the video still.

"That's because it's not a police vehicle. Thanks Adam." With that, Mac left.

 _What does he mean, not a police vehicle?_ Adam thought while trying to look closer at the still.

* * *

Jo walked along many hallways until she found Anne Wilson's room. Her husband was sitting next to her, holding her hand.

"May I come in?"

He let go of his wife's hand and stood up to greet the detective standing in the doorway. "I'm Shawn and you must be the officer who was with my wife this morning. Thank you so much for helping her."

"I'm Detective Danville. May we speak privately, perhaps get some coffee in the cafeteria?"

He walked over to his wife, kissed her temple, and walked out into the hallway to meet the detective for coffee.

"Is this about Ashley?"

"It is. I just need to ask you a few questions about the days leading up to your daughter's disappearance."

"Okay. I'm not sure how much help I can be."

"That's okay. Has Ashley acted any differently before she disappeared?"

"She seemed fine. A little stressed maybe, but that's normal for high school kids."

"Anyone bothering her at school?"

"Not that I know of."

"Where were you when your daughter went missing?"

"I was with a client in Long Island; I'm a real estate agent."

Just then, a doctor came into the cafeteria.

"Mr. Wilson, your wife is awake and asking for you."

"Okay. Thank you. Detective, can we finish this later?"

"Of course."

* * *

 _Later that afternoon..._

Danny was helping Adam search through city wide video feed.

Jo was reading the incident report, along with both parents accounts and alibis. _Something is off about this case,_ she thought.

Mac lightly knocked on her door. "Are you busy?"

"Not at all. I was just reading over the case file."

"Anything that we might have missed?"

"I'm not sure, Mac. It doesn't look like there is anything else, but something seems off about this case."

Mac took the file out of her hands and put it on her desk.

"Hey, what..."

"Jo, what's going on with you?"

"Nothing, Mac. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

She avoided eye contact and picked up the file again, but she responded. "I'm sure. Now, will you let me finish reading the incident report?"

Mac decided to drop the subject for now, but he was going to check on her later. There was something she wasn't telling him, and he knew it wasn't about the case.


	3. Chapter 3

Mac tapped lightly on the door to Jo's apartment. __Something seems different about her,__ he thought. __She gets lost in her thoughts, doesn't make eye contact with any of the team, showed up late to a couple of crime scenes, and always wants to stay late in the office.__ His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening. Ellie stood in the doorway.

"Hey Mac, what are you doing here?"

"Is your mom home?"

"No, she's out for tonight. I thought she told you already."

"She probably did. Things are kind of hectic at the lab right now."

"Do you want me to tell her that you stopped by?"

"No, it's okay. I'll see her tomorrow morning."

Mac walked away from the closing door, wanting to know what Jo could possibly be hiding.

* * *

Ashley was waking up. The first thing she noticed was that she was on a cold floor. There was some light, not a lot, but enough to illuminate the small room. The walls were a light pink, and there were pictures all over and a couple posters. There was a small bed, a dresser, bookshelf, desk, and a chair. As Ashley got up, she felt her world spin. A blonde woman entered the room, noticing that Ashley was holding herself up by the wall.

"Oh, Shelby, sweetie, you don't look too good." She led Ashley to the bed.

"Why don't you lay down for a bit, hmm? I'll have your dad check on you later. I have to work tonight, otherwise I would stay with you. I'll see you later."

The woman kissed the top of Ashley's head and left the room.

Ashley's mind was racing, but two thoughts stood out. __Who are these people? Where am I?__

* * *

Jo was tiptoeing into the apartment, trying not to wake up Ellie. She had just gotten home from her date with Scott. It was almost 1 am, and she had to get up for work in 5 hours. She took her jacket off, and then walked over to put it in the closet. After putting her jacket away, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She saw something, and had to look closer. Her left eye was puffy and red, she had hand shaped red marks on her upper arms and wrists, and a red mark on her right cheek. __I wonder how I'm going to explain this?__ She had been at Scott's apartment earlier that night for dinner. They were having a good time, until Russ texted her that Tyler wanted to spend summer break with him in D.C., and if she could call him when she gets a chance.

 _ _"How was your day, honey?" Scott was trying to make small talk.__

 _ _"It was busy. How was yours?"__

 _ _"Better now that you are with me."__

 _ _He grabbed her hand, and kissed it just above her knuckles.__

 _ _Something buzzed. Jo removed her hand to grab her phone.__

 _ _"Might be work."__

 _ _She glanced at the screen, but it wasn't from Danny.__

 _Russ Josephson_

 _ _Tyler and I were talking earlier, and he wants to stay with me over the summer - maybe get an internship with the bureau. Call me when you can.__

 _ _"Who's that, babe?"__

 _ _Jo looked up to see Scott glancing at her, and then her phone.__

 _ _Before Jo could respond, Scott stood up and slammed his hands on the table.__

 _ _"Why are you still talking to your ex?"__

 _ _He stood up from the table and walked into the kitchen.__

 _ _"Sweetheart, nothing is going on. We have a child together, that's it."__

 _ _She tried to catch up to him.__

 _ _"He's an adult, Josephine. There should be no reason why you need to talk with your ex about your twenty year old kid."__

 _ _"I can't stop talking to him, Scott."__

 _ _Scott turned around and slapped Jo as hard as she could. Jo fell to the ground, with a red, sore cheek and the taste of blood was in her mouth.__

 _ _He pulled her up by grabbing her wrists very tightly. "You're having an affair with him, aren't you?!"__

 _ _"I'm not. I swear."__

 _ _He let go of her, pulled her close, and kissed the top of her forehead. "Okay, I believe you."__

 _ _Jo was relieved, hoping he wouldn't hit her again tonight.__

 _ _"So, what did he want from you?"__

 _ _"Oh, he just wanted to talk with me about Tyler's summer plans. I'll just call him later."__

 _ _Scott tensed up at the mention of her calling him back.__

 _ _"You won't, right? Call him, I mean."__

 _ _"We just have to discuss a few details about it."__

 _ _He punched her in the face, and started yelling at her again.__

 _ _"You are having an affair!"__

 _ _He grabbed her arms really hard, and threw her on the ground.__

 _ _"Get out of my house!"__

That was only two hours ago, and if the swelling got worse, the team might ask questions. Once she covered her bruises in makeup, she fell asleep above the covers on the bed. If only she knew how bad it actually was.


	4. Chapter 4

Jo looked at herself through the mirror. Her face was still swollen, but her bruises were hidden under makeup. Her other bruises were hidden under her long sleeve shirt. She had to leave in half an hour to get to the lab on time. She walked into Ellie's room to wake her up for school, but she wasn't there. She was walking through the kitchen when she saw a piece of paper taped to the coffee maker.

 _Mom,_

 _I went to school early. They are posting the list up today. I'll call you at lunch to let you know if I made the team. Love you, Ellie._

Jo started to smile from reading her daughter's note, until her cheek hurt her. She thought about last night with Scott, how he yelled at her, how he hit her. Her phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts. She grabbed her phone from her room and checked to see the caller id, _Mac Taylor._ She didn't know what to say to him, but she answered anyway. " _Hey, Mac."_

 _"Jo, are you coming into the lab today?"_

 _"I'm on my way. See you in ten."_ She hung up on him, not wanting to answer any more questions he could ask. She rushed to the door, grabbed her coat, and left.

* * *

Ashley woke up again, this time on the small bed in the corner of the room. There was a cupcake on the desk with a note. She walked over to the desk and grabbed the note.

 _Shelby,_

 _We went to run some errands. We will be back for your birthday dinner. Happy 17th Birthday, Sweetheart!_

 _Love, Mom and Dad_

Ashley ran to the door and tried to open it. It was stuck. She was looking around the room and found a window. She was going to open it, but when she tried to open it, she realized it was painted on the wall. She ran back to the door and started pounding her fists on it. "I'm not your daughter! Someone help me! Please help me!" She kept pounding her fists on the door, but nothing happened. She tried screaming, and her screams turned to whimpers as she started crying against the door.

* * *

Jo walked out of the elevators and found Lindsey and Adam in the lab. Meanwhile, Danny and Sheldon were at the abduction site to see if anyone missed anything. Jo had no intention of speaking with Mac this morning, so she tried to get to her office as fast as she could. "Jo, can you step into my office, please?" Mac was behind her, so she ducked into the lab to see what Lindsey and Adam had found.

Lindsey looked up from the monitors to see Jo walking in. "Lindsey, did you get anywhere with the paint?"

"The results came back and..."

"Jo, were you listening to me? I asked you to come into my office."

"Mac, I'm a little busy talking to Lindsey about the case."

"Can it wait?"

"No, Mac, it can't. We're searching for a young girl who's been missing for over seventy-two hours. Unless it's about the case, it can wait."

Mac stared at her with disbelief. She had never talked back to him before.

Jo turned back to Lindsey, purposely ignoring Mac. "I found that the paint transfer is matte black. There are fifteen auto body shops that use that specific color in Manhattan."

"Thanks, Lindsey." Jo took the list from Lindsey before walking to her office. _Mac and Jo never fought, so why were they fighting today?_ Lindsey thought. She kept going through the evidence, but she could sense that something was _off_ , and it wasn't just about the case.

* * *

Danny and Sheldon were standing on Ashley's street. A pale grey sky soared above them as they walked door to door. "Hello, I'm Detective Messer, NYPD. Can I ask you a few questions about your neighbor, Ashley Wilson?"

"Hi, I'm Sheldon Hawkes. I work for the police department. Do you know anything about Ashley's disappearance?"

All of the neighbors gave them similar responses. Either it was, "I'm sorry, I don't know anything," or, "I don't know who you're talking about."

All, except one.

* * *

Danny approached a light blue house with a white painted door, and knocked lightly. A young girl with pale, ivory skin and blonde hair opened the door slightly. Half of her face was hidden by the partially-open door.

"Can I help you?" Her sky blue eyes looked directly at the detective.

"I'm Detective Messer. I wanted to ask you a few questions about Ashley." Her eyes went from the detective to the ground.

"I'm sorry, I don't, um, I don't know what you're talking about." Sheldon and Danny looked at each other before speaking to her again. Sheldon stepped towards the girl, trying to meet her gaze.

"It's very important for us to find out what happened to Ashley before she disappeared. Are you Emily?"

Her eyes shot up.

"It's okay. You're not in trouble. There were pictures of you and Ashley in her room. Can you talk to us, please?" She looked inside before speaking again. "Not here." She stepped inside and called further into the house. "Mom, I'm meeting Savannah at the library. I'll see you later." There was a _clink_ from inside, and she came back out with a set of keys and shut the door.

"Can we talk somewhere else?"

Danny approached her. "Wanna go to the station?" Emily nodded before following the detectives to the hummer.


	5. Chapter 5

Jo was sitting on the couch in Mac's office. Her gaze never met Mac's stare. Mac was sitting in the chair opposite the couch.

"Jo, what's going on?"

"Mac, I'm..." Mac interrupted her before she could say anything else.

"Don't say that you're fine. There is something going on besides the case that is bothering you and interfering with work. What is going on?"

Jo felt the need to lie. _I can't tell him about the date gone wrong with Scott._ "Ellie and I..., we've been fighting. I don't like her boyfriend, and she's been skipping school."

Mac was listening, but he didn't believe any of it. "Is there anything else going on?"

Jo's eyes were looking at the floor. "That's it."

Mac knew that she was lying, but there was nothing he could do. "Okay. Well, if you need anything, let me know, okay?"

Jo nodded, still looking at the floor. "Okay."

Mac stood up, and walked over to his desk. "I need you to go to the precinct. Danny and Sheldon have a witness, but she's not really speaking to them. "

Jo nodded before getting up and walking to the door. As she was walking to the elevator, she couldn't stop thinking about how she lied to Mac.

* * *

Danny was standing in the corner of the interrogation room. Emily was sitting at the table, looking nervously at the one-way mirror. She hadn't said a word to either Danny or Sheldon since they left for the precinct. Emily kept looking at the mirror until she heard the door open, and a woman sat right in front of her.

"Hi. I'm Detective Danville. You're Emily, right?"

Emily nodded.

"We need to ask you a few questions, is that okay?"

Emily nodded again.

Jo could tell the girl was nervous. Her hands were shaking, and her eyes were looking everywhere but Danny or Jo's eyes. Jo moved her hand across the table to hold Emily's hand. "You're not in trouble. We need to know what happened before Ashley went missing. You're her best friend, right?"

Emily looked up at Jo, making eye contact with her. She held Jo's hand before speaking. "We've been best friends since the third grade."

"You spend a lot of time together?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me about the last few weeks you two have spent together before she disappeared. Was she acting differently?"

"Not really. She was just as competitive at volleyball practice as she always is. But something kind of weird happened last week."

Danny spoke up, moving to the chair next to Jo. "Is that why you didn't tell your parents that you were coming to the station? What happened last week?"

Before Emily could speak, Jo squeezed her hand. "You're not in any trouble."

"If I tell you what happened, you won't tell my parents, right?"

"We won't tell your parents anything you don't want us to. Detective Messer and I just want to find Ashley. Now, can you tell us what happened last week?"

Emily took a deep breath before speaking. "Two weeks ago, Ashley and I went to a frat party. We told our parents that we were going to our friend, Jessica's house. Instead of going to Jessica's place, we took the subway to NYU. I forget what house we were at, maybe a Sigma or something. I don't remember. When we were outside, there was this guy, he was watching us. It really creeped us out, so we went inside. The next morning, we were walking back to the subway, and Ashley thought she saw him again. Last week, he was sitting in the bleachers during our game and tried talking to us afterwards. We got creeped out, so she spent the night at my place that night. We had to use a shortcut to get home so he wouldn't follow us."

Danny leaned backwards in his chair before speaking. "Was the guy following you in a frat?"

"No. He looked older."

"How much older?"

"He looked like he was in his forties or fifties."

"Have you seen him before the party?"

"I don't think so, no."

Danny left the room and walked to where Don was standing on the opposite side of the mirror.

"Do you think she's telling the truth, Don?"

"I believe her. She was scared enough to leave her home without telling her parents and coming to the police station to tell us that she went to a stupid frat party."

"Let's get a sketch artist in here to sit down with her, see how much she remembers."

* * *

Mike was on the couch watching football while his daughter was sitting next to him.

"Sweetie, who do you think is gonna win: Green Bay or Detroit?"

Angie was in the laundry room folding her daughter's clothes. "I don't know, babe. Detroit?"

Mike was enjoying the game until he felt the couch shake.

"Hey, Ang, Shelby isn't looking so good. She doesn't have a fever, does she?"

Angie came out of the bedroom to sit next to Ashley. The back of her hand moved from the girl's forehead to her cheeks. The young girl's face was cool and damp with sweat. "Maybe a little, but she seems clammy. Why don't you just let her lay with you and keep an eye on her while I get a washcloth?"

"Ang, I got it. I know how to take care of my kid."

Angie's voice "Honey, I wasn't saying that you didn't. I'm letting you know that we need to make sure that she doesn't get sicker."

"Babe, I got it. We're all good." Angie sat next to her husband and gave him the cold, damp washcloth from her hand. He put it on his daughter's forehead, making her shiver from the coolness of it.

"Mike, let's see if she'll fall asleep and see how she improves in a few hours."

"Babe, just let her sleep."

* * *

"Hey babe."

Jo looked up from her desk to find Scott in the doorway, holding red roses.

"Hi, what are you doing here? I wasn't expecting you, but it's a nice surprise."

She got up from her desk to meet him in the middle of her office. He leaned down to give her a passionate kiss. Once they both came up for air, he gave her the roses. "I'm sorry about last night. I love you too much, Josie. You are so independent and I don't want to lose you."

Jo _hated_ the nickname. Every time he said it, all she could do was cringe. "You won't lose me, Scott. I promise."


	6. Clues

Scott was still standing in the hallway when Lindsay tried to walk into Jo's office.

"Jo, I have the information about the car that was found.."

She looked up and realized Jo wasn't alone.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that you had company."

"It's alright. Lindsay, this is Scott. Scott, Lindsay."

Scott had moved a foot away from Jo and shook the smaller girl's hand before stepping back and wrapping his arms around his girlfriend. Jo just leaned back into Scott's embrace, her head almost at the top of his shoulder. Lindsey just stood by the door, not sure of how to proceed.

"So, um, if you wanted to follow me so I can show you the footage..."

Jo was hit with the realization that they were still at the office and she needed to go over report files.

"Right!"

She got out of Scott's arms and stepped a couple of feet backwards, trying to not hit her desk chair.

"I still have work to do so I will see you later. "

Scott moved further to Jo, putting one of his hands near her waist.

"Are we still on for dinner at my place at 8?"

"Absolutely!" He gave her a swift kiss, and smiled on his way out of the office.

"Nice to meet you, Lindsay. See you later, sweetheart."

As Scott was walking to the elevator, he kept looking back at Jo with a big smile on his face.

"Jo?" Lindsay took Jo out of her thoughts.

"Huh?"

"The case?" She couldn't tell what was going on with Jo, maybe she was just distracted by her boyfriend. __Jo is smitten!__ Lindsay thought. "The car is a Ford Crown Vic, which most officers drive but civilians also drive those thinking they wouldn't be pulled over." Jo was following Lindsay to the monitors. Lindsay plopped into the chair, while Jo was looking over her shoulder. Lindsey started the video at high speed, showing a dark vehicle lurking outside the Wilson home, staying for three hours before leaving.

"That's weird, right? Jo, earth to Jo?"

Jo looked up to see Lindsey trying to get her attention.

"I'm here. I just noticed something. Play it again from the two hour mark."

Lindsey pulled up the footage. "There!" Jo pointed to the driver's side of the car. The footage revealed a partial arm with something small between two fingers.

"Is he smoking a cigarette?"

"It looks like it, but there must be hundreds of cigarettes near there, so I wouldn't try finding D.N.A. off of that little thing. However..."

Jo pointed at the blurry bodega shown in the corner of the feed. "We can see if they have any surveillance outside."

Lindsay snatched a pen and paper from the media desk to list her findings.

"I'm on it."

"Okay, just let me know what the report comes up with."

" Will do... Jo?"

When Lindsay turned around, Jo was walking back to her office. __She must be so smitten that she wants to get her work done before her date. How cute!__


	7. Chapter 7

Ashley's gaze was at the ceiling. _Am I going to die here?_ She wondered, having many other thoughts about her life up to this point racing through her mind. " _What...wan...babe?"_

 _"C...speak...us. Go ...her."_

The voices were further away, and she let her mind race.

 _It was a warm day, and the sounds of the waves hitting the shore and the screams of those riding a rollercoaster filled Coney Island. A thirteen-year-old Ashley Wilson had her dark brown hair wrapped in a bun, only having a few hair strands falling towards her face. Her red 'Wildcats Volleyball' t-shirt and dark blue jean shorts matched with her best friend._

 _"Hey, girls, don't get too far! Ashley, honey, Daddy and I are going to be sitting over here on this bench, okay?"_

 _Both girls looked behind their shoulders to see Shawn sitting on the bench while Anne was waving at them._

 _"Okay, Mom. We got it. Thanks."_

 _Ashley rolled her eyes as they turned around to walk further down the beach._

 _"Oh, my god. My parents are so embarrassing!"_

 _"It's okay. My parents do that too."_

 _At that moment, Shelby ran in front of Ashley._

 _"Ash, come on! Race you to the water?!"_

 _Ashley started picking up the pace and gently pushed her best friend on the shoulder before passing her._

 _"You are so on!"_

 _Both girls were giggling when they got to the water. They removed their flip-flops from their feet to throw them slightly behind them. Plopping down on the sand, they started splashing each other._

 _"Shelby, stop!"_

 _"You splashed me first!"_

 _"Did not!"_

 _"Did too!"_

 _"Okay, okay, truce, truce!"_

Laughter from that day, that moment, was all that Ashley had in mind.

* * *

Angela was pacing the floor while Mike was still watching the game. "What do you want me to do, babe?"

"She won't speak to us. Go talk to her." Mike got up from the couch to stop his wife from creating a permanent indent in the floor.

"Angie, baby, she's a teenager. She doesn't have to tell us about everything."

"But what about that party she went to?"

"It's okay. I followed her to make sure that she was safe and she was. Look, she's safe in her room. Let's just give her some space, okay?" He wrapped his arms around her and leaned forward to kiss her on the temple. She slowly wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head onto his chest before exhaling the breath that she was holding.

"I hope you're right."

* * *

Jo walked up to Scott's apartment, but the door swung open before she could knock. He pulled her into a swift kiss before letting her inside. His gaze followed her as she moved out of the doorway.

"I missed you today, Jo. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I'm sorry about the other night."

He wrapped his arms around her to pull her into a soft embrace. "It won't happen again, I promise. Please forgive me."

He quivered as to refuse from crying. Jo returned the hug, whispering "I forgive you" as they both remained in the entryway.

 _I love him. He truly regrets it. It won't happen_ _again,_ Jo thought as she was breathing in her boyfriend's cologne. _But then again, she thought that last time too._


	8. Chapter 8

Angela was sitting in her daughter's room, watching the girl in front of her sleep. Watching her chest rise and fall made her feel more at ease knowing that the girl in front of her is alive. Mike came in to the room to find his wife staring at the sleeping girl in front of her.

"She's safe, Angie. Stop worrying."

Angie shifted in her seat to find Mike near the door.

"She's just been in here a lot lately. We need to get her out of her room."

Mike wrapped his arms around her once he got closer to her. He pecked her cheek before looking at the young girl in front of them.

"We can do something this weekend, hm?"

Angie just nodded as she continued to watch Ashley as she slept, hearing small snores.

* * *

Jo rolled over to find Scott still asleep next to her. The alarm clock next to him read _6:45 A.M._ Trying not to wake him up, she moved off the bed slowly. She felt cold as she was only in her bra and panties. She was searching for her jeans when she found her reflection in the wall mirror. The bruises on her abdomen and arms were yellow and purple, slowly starting to fade. _He won't do it again,_ she thought as soon as she found her clothes. She left as quietly as she could, putting her shoes on out in the hallway before she left for work.

By the time she got to work, Mac was the only one in the office so far. It was difficult to avoid him since he was her boss, and most of the office walls were made of glass. Jo had entered the bathroom to check herself in the mirror, hoping that her bruises were well-hidden beneath her clothing and concealer. _It won't happen again,_ she thought. Her and Scott have been dating for a while now, and things are starting to get worse. He started hitting her two months after they got together. After she composed herself, she was walking back to her office when Mac stopped her."

"Jo, we got an image off of the surveillance feed. I want you to run it through C.O.D.I.S. and see what you find." As he gave her the file, he saw her flinch for a split second.

"I'm on it, Mac." As Jo walked into the lab, Mac's thoughts went to the domestic violence victims that he's seen before. Textbook cases of anxiousness, lack of focus, and the fear of being touched all appeared in his mind as he's trying to figure out what was going on with Jo. _What is going on?_ Mac thought as he stepped back into his office.


	9. Ashley is Found

Jo had retrieved a name off of the surveillance feed: Michael Carter. His name was in the database as a registered gun owner. Danny and Don went to check on the Carter residence while Jo, Mac, Lindsay and Adam stayed back at the lab. Jo and Adam were waiting for results on another case when Adam noticed something different about Jo.

"Jo, what happened to your eye?"

Jo looked shocked. She had covered it with concealer very well, not fully aware that it looked swollen still.

"What are you talking about?"

"Your eye is swollen."

Jo just brushed it off. "I accidentally had a makeup wipe near my eye and I forgot that it was one I was allergic to."

"Oh okay." Adam had seen Jo use a makeup wipe once before, and it wasn't something that she was allergic to as far as he knew.

* * *

Don had knocked on the door. "Michael Carter, Police!" There was no answer.

"Police! Open up!" Danny had kicked the door in after a minute. Both officers had their guns drawn, looking for the suspect as well as the missing girl. They knew that Mr. Carter had about three guns registered to the state. Danny had cleared the kitchen when he heard noises coming from the back room. A short had rang out, almost hitting Danny. The person who had fired tried to run was trying to run down the fire escape. Danny was able to grab her before she went down to far and had put handcuffs on her.

"Where is Ashley Wilson?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." As Danny was trying to ask her a few questions, he heard Don from the other room. "I've got her! Call a bus!"

* * *

Ashley was taken to St. John's hospital, while an angry Angela Carter was sitting in an interview room at the precinct.

"What have you done with my daughter?" She asked when Jo entered the room.

"That girl is not your daughter. This is." Jo took the pictures out of the file and passed them to Angela, who refused to look.

"You took my daughter away for no reason. I need to be with her!"

Jo looked at the hysterical woman right in front of her, trying to figure out how to word things correctly as to deal with a sensitive subject.

"This is your daughter." She had pointed at the photos again, trying to make her look.

"Her name was Shelby, right?"

"That _is_ her name! I need to be with her!"

Jo took a photo off of the table and held it right in front of Angela's face.

Angela started crying once she saw the photo, taking a seat slowly.

"This is your daughter, Shelby. She is in the morgue right now. The girl that was in your apartment was not your daughter."

Jo took another look at the report in the file. "Cause of death: suicide." She put the file down, looking at the woman crying in front of her. "You were the one who found her."

Angela picked up another photo, staring at her baby girl. Tears fell more violently down her cheeks as she started shaking. "I couldn't save her."

"This girl," Jo picked up a photo of Ashley, " she was your daughter's best friend, right?" Angela just nodded, still shaking.

Jo had read the report. Shelby Carter died from severe blood loss by slitting her wrists. Her mother was the one that found her lying unconscious in the bathroom.

"I just wanted her back!" Her sobs were getting louder.

"I couldn't save her! I just wanted her back!"

There was a knock on the one-sided window, beckoning for Jo to meet the face behind the glass. She grabbed the file except for the one photo that Mrs. Carter was holding, and found Mac on the other side of the glass.

"Jo, we found Mr. Carter. Danny is questioning him now, but it seems like they both had a similar mental break after their daughter died."

Jo looked back at a crying Angela. "If Ellie killed herself, I'd have one too."


End file.
